Who else is stalking Sawyer? Someone who also knows about Jimmy? And if not, how can Jimmy both protect and remain a shadowy protector? Hidden dangers will lurk everywhere until Jimmy can sniff out a culprit.
Both words work, from my point of view. I find poetry can move my heart and my hands and my head. That it might have done the same for you makes me smile.
I’m humbled by your response to this. Your poem marked a wonderful beginning to the day. It’s marvelous. Even though we are separated by miles, I know we march together. Thank you for reading this, and for your awesome reflection.
Thank you for reading this. Some days can be hard on my faith in my fellow human beings. Others make me want to link arms, as in this poem. Or offer hugs.
For a teacher like me, the current vogue for convenient fabrications and partial truths is enough to make me weep. Combined with the injustices fueled by public avarice, it seems impossible to remain passive or silent. Thank you for reading this, and for your comments.
I’m very grateful you read this. It seems there are so many ways in which we are encouraged into “apartness.” Remembering shared humanity and common purpose may help us all climb out of this pandemic world, one day.
Can gullibility and ignorance
prove stronger than the storied armored hosts
which, like the ancient rat-borne pestilence,
left all the world too well supplied with ghosts?
And will unbridled avarice bring down
that liberty once promised in the seed
to everyone, regardless of renown,
or color, gender, origin or creed?
Can we not make a stand that’s no less brave
than by embattled heroes long extolled,
who matchless measures for our freedom g
I liked the proverb that prefaced the chapter. You showed it at work over and over. Boone and Coy sharpen and refine each other, impel each other to do right. These are good men; it’s a pity they must split up.
Rita has that hard-driving, boundary-pushing personality that possibly makes her an excellent salesperson. It might not endear her to Rick, however. Happiness may not be something Rick truly believes in, wherever it may be thought to be. I’m grateful for your comments and thoughts.
Rick’s attempts at burying that experience have met with mixed success, as you have said. Rita appears to be in quite a hurry - too much so to listen to Rick. Thank you again for reading, and for your comments.
Willy Kohler exerted a pull no less strong and no less sinister than, say, a black hole. Poor Rick seemed swept along. Now it’s years later, but the scars remain. You’re right to wonder what happened to Willy. Thanks so very much for reading and for your thoughts.
You’re most kind, and very welcome. I’m grateful you are reading this story. I hope you find it enjoyable. I hope the characters connect with you. I’ll look forward to seeing what you think. Thanks again.
I felt so much in this poem as I read it. The images were amazing. Time running down my face... Puddles of the past... tottering on crystal legs... smooth walks where only the ghosts can see me... each of these made me feel out of place, unbalanced and alone. My heart is with you.
Rita isn’t leaving town, no. No matter how much we might want her to, she’s not pulling up stakes and moving to Florida. Like you, I’ve enjoyed the comments on this chapter, including yours. Thanks.
You’re quite right about the owner/landlord/agent’s responsibility. However, those same parties will seek to extract those charges (and then some) from the renters in one way or another. Magda Takács is canny by taking care of the matter directly, thus sparing herself an inevitable markup. Rita would charge her five or ten times Rick’s quote in some vague line against the security deposit, I imagine. Perhaps Rick hopes something major goes wrong that Rita couldn’t wriggle out of paying for. Thanks for reading this story, and for your thoughts.
You have delved my mind and divined my intention in your comments. Willy and his family were ‘golden ones’ who could do no wrong; Rick was left to gather up his own pieces afterwards. As for your excellent question, perhaps it is best if I let things play out and let you tell me what you think. In any case, I’m very grateful for your insights and interest. Thank you.
Rick can’t forget that day, anymore than he can erase the indelible marks of his upbringing or the ties to Heinrich Sr and Eagle Lake. I suspect you may be right about Willy Kohler, too. I appreciate your comments and am grateful you read this chapter.